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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/22952251">Pink is for boys</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kari_Not_Karl/pseuds/Kari_Not_Karl'>Kari_Not_Karl</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Naruto</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst, Other, Self-Harm, Trans Character, Trans Male Character</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-02-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-02-29</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-18 10:21:53</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>2,109</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/22952251</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Kari_Not_Karl/pseuds/Kari_Not_Karl</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Sakura always hated her name.<br/>Not just that it seemed to be a pun on her oddly colored hair but also because it was really feminine. Just like her round face, her girly voice or her female body in general.<br/>She absolutely hated it.<br/>It followed her everywhere, from her birth certificate to the name tag she wore at the hospital and even on the list for team seven. Her new team. <br/>Her. <br/>HER. <br/>And NOT HIM<br/>Never was it him.<br/>Never did they notice that the reason he couldn't throw a kunai straight was because of the tight cloth around his chest.<br/>Never did they ask why he always wore long sleeves, even during the hottest summer days.<br/>And when he came into class with dark bruises on his arms they just commented on his new pink dress.<br/>He hated the colour pink, it was for girls. <br/>And he isn't a girl.<br/>He never was.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>39</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Pink is for boys</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Sweat trickled down his forehead and onto the red dress Sakura wore. Slowly drenching the bandages underneath. He tried to concentrate on the target but the itching distracted him and he misses again. </p><p>"you're not throwing it correctly, do it again", one of the teachers ordered, not even looking up from the notebook he was writing in.</p><p>Sakuras sigh was only suppressed by the pain of the bruises that were slowly forming on his ribs.</p><p>"Yes, sensei"</p><p>Sakura concentrates again on throwing the kunai as hard as he could, even flicking his wrist, despite the scars on them ripping open.<br/>
This time he hit the bullseye with only a quiet hiss of pain.<br/>
But Sakura didn't need to turn around to know that the teacher was already looking at Sasuke, amazed at his accuracy. </p><p>A curse left his lips and he started to search for the kunai that didn't hit the target and went flying into the woods instead.</p><p>Sakura instantly relaxed as he entered the shade of the woods they were practicing in. He tried to spot metal shining between grass but his head interjected and he had to lean on the nearest tree.<br/>
Sliding down the rough bark, not caring if his already ruined dress ripped, Sakura spread his legs on the ground, instantly his pale hands went to slide the pink hair beneath his ears so that he could put slight pressure on his temples to stop the ache.<br/>
Of course it didn't stop, it probably would never, but that didn't stop him from rubbing them.</p><p>"Sakura! Are you skipping too?", a blond head popped out of a nearby bush, staring at him with huge eyes, "I've never seen you skip before, Iruka always says that you were such a disciplined girl!"</p><p>She barely suppressed a flinch at his last words but couldn't stop the hurt from dulling the green of her eyes. </p><p>Naruto made an odd expression, the whiskers on his cheeks stretching with the thought full frown he made shortly before he stepped out of the bush, rubbing his neck nervously, "Hey, uhm would you like... You know... Uhm skip together? Like cool kids do, you know, sit around and be... cool, I guess?"</p><p>Sakura looked up again, hopefull green eyes staring into just as hopefull blue ones. </p><p>"like bad boys do?" </p><p>"just like bad boys do" </p><p>Well it couldn't really hurt to skip once.</p><p>Sakura took Narutos hand and stood up, the pain in his chest forgotten.</p><p>"Soo where do you wanna go first?" </p><p>---</p><p> </p><p>It could in fact hurt to skip even once, Sakura found out, it could hurt really really badly. </p><p>"Do you know who visited us today? Your teacher. Iruka. And do you know what he told us? Yes? He told us you skipped with that fox, Uzumaki! You SKIPPED! WITH.THAT.ABOMONATION.OF.A.BOY! "</p><p>Each of his fathers hits grew stronger with each of his words. His lung gasping for air after every punch and every kick. The last ones directly connected with Sakuras face and finally knocked him down to his knees.</p><p>"I told you she'd get ideas if we'd let her attent that school! Look at her now! She's all filthy with mud, and all muscly too! She looks like a God damn boy!", Sakuras mother yelled, her words hurt even more than her fathers hits.<br/>
And yet she didn't flinch or cry out. It'd be useless to do so, she found out soon enough.<br/>
So she just stayed on the floor. Empty green eyes being left to mindlessly stare at the swirls of the wooden ceiling. </p><p>"I made sure she won't play with that brat anymore, I signed her up for the Medic sessions at the hospital. As a future wife she'll have to know how to heal her husband when he comes home from missions. Every proper girl needs to"<br/>
,her parents ignored the bleeding nine year old in front of them to discuss what would be better for her future. Great. They probably only did so because they thought she'd passed out. </p><p>"and what will you do when she's in school? This Uzumaki boy and his teachers will continue to put those ideas in her head!", her mothers voice was filled with disgust, "we should put her into a proper school for girls"</p><p>"No. We'll let her continue, she'll be too busy at the hospital to train. And when she fails the exams she'll come crawling to us for help and we'll finally get that stupid idea of being a boy out of her head!"</p><p>She'd probably be broken by her fathers words but Sakura only understood half of the the conversation, the rest going missing in the ocean of nausea she was in. The wooden floor seemingly moving like waves beneath her.<br/>
It was easier to ignore the pain now so she just closed her eyes. </p><p> </p><p>----</p><p> </p><p>The next day Sakura took a different route to school. Usually she'd walk after her classmates from a safe distance. Today her only company was the occasional trash can that littered the street.<br/>
Trying to distract herself from yesterday's events she started practicing the newly introduced jutsus Iruka-sensei showed them.<br/>
She had already learned he first one, the jutsu that could switch you and an object.<br/>
The second one she also performed pretty well, the copy jutsu.<br/>
The third one was the transformation jutsu.<br/>
In her opinion it was by far the hardest one she had encountered.<br/>
But she also knew what she would be able to do if she mastered it. So she kept on practicing. </p><p>The pink haired hands already went through the signs in a blur that came from only muscle memory and required no thoughts on her side anymore. After all her only problem was the activation, which often took too much Chakra. </p><p>Altough halfway through her third try an orange blob, from above one of the buildings appeared over her unsuspecting head. The nine year old underneath it completely oblivious of it. </p><p>"outta my way!", was the only thing that warned her but it was aready too late to dodge, Sakura could only brace for whatever came flying at her with such speed.</p><p>After a few moments of shielding herself with her arms, nothing slammed into her. Only the sound of shoes hitting the ground behind her.</p><p>"sorry I didn't see you there, nobody ever comes here", a familiar voice apologized from behind her. She could almost hear how Naruto rubbed his neck again before he abrubtly stopped, surprised, "wait... Sakura? What are you doing here?"</p><p>Said person just tried to hide her head between her shoulders, looking down, so that pink hair covered her face.<br/>
He shouldn't have to see her wound. </p><p>"Uh, Sakura? You know I can still see you?"</p><p>She raised her shoulders even further. </p><p>"Sakura?", Naruto confusion turned to worry and she heard him slowly approaching her, "you OK?" </p><p>She slowly turned around, her nervous blush hidden behind the purple and blue blotches on her face. Her eyes staring at klenched hands, which were mostly invisible due to the swelling around her eyes, "please don't tell Iruka-sensei" </p><p>"Holy crap, Sakura! Don't. don't cry. I, uh won't tell anybody if you don't wanna", his hands flayed around in panic, as if to hold her but unsure if he should.</p><p>"just dont tell anyone please", Sakura hiccuped, she tried to hold in the tears until the blonde broke the dams. The salty drops burned on her face but she didn't try to swipe them away. Sakura hands holding her dress too firmly to move them. </p><p>"I won't, Uzumaki promise", he said, raysing his pinky finger, waiting for her to take it. After a bit of hesitation Sakura held up her own pinky, shaking both of them together, before gently smiling at him. </p><p>"you wanna talk about it though?", he said bringing his hand to rub his neck again.</p><p>She shook her head. Looking down again. </p><p>Naruto stared thoughtfully at her for a moment but then smiled brightly, "OK, you can tell me anything ya know? We're bad boys, and bad boys always help each other!"</p><p>Sakuras' smile shone just as bright, the bruises on his cheeks throbbing painfully with it: "Yes, we do" </p><p>----</p><p>The both of them were walking together, the pink and blonde hair seemingly glowing between the shadow of the buildings around them.<br/>
Sakura had calmed down and now listened to the rambling of her new found friend, a gentle smile on her split lip. </p><p>After they had made up, Naruto decided to go to some place before they'd arrive at school, he hadn't said where though.<br/>
Not that Sakura asked. </p><p>It wasn't that the pink haired didn't want to, he was just afraid that the other boy would get the impression that Sakura didn't trust him.<br/>
Maybe the blonde would even get angry, like his father did everytime Sakura asked something. </p><p>They'd been on their way to the hospital that day, the pink haired had tried to ask where they'd go but his father had only stopped abruptly to look down at his kid with such a angry* expression that it made the little girl tremble with fear.</p><p>"Shut your mouth and behave like a proper girl, you know what happens to those that don't" </p><p>Boys didn't tremble when somebody merely looked at them.<br/>
Sakura did, so she was a little girl. Like her father said. She would try not to shake when he did, but her father's expression was terrifying. It was the look of somebody that would kill a person for less than just asking a question.<br/>
And her father was a trained shinobi, he did probably kill for less without a second thought. </p><p>Her father who could kill her without a second thought.</p><p>Her father who should... </p><p>"Sakura? Are you hurting again?"</p><p>Blue eyes filled her blotchy vision. </p><p>So Naruto was still there.<br/>
He shouldn't see her like this, he'd think of her as a little girl.<br/>
He already knew that she was one though.<br/>
Sakuras' cheeks grew oddly wet, she was probably crying again.<br/>
Reflexively the pink haired went to wipe them away with the back of her hand. Because Naruto shouldn't think of her as a crybaby. But her hands only found another pair already wiping them away.<br/>
Sakura closed her eyes, expecting them to hurt on her purple skin but after Narutos warm hands left them, she felt no pain.<br/>
Curiously she touched her cheek, no swelling, no cuts, nothing.<br/>
The wounds were gone.<br/>
She stared at Naruto with hope. </p><p>"Surprise! We're here!", the blonde stepped back to spread his arms, widely gesturing to the trees around them, "I wanted to tell you, but you were zoning out all weird, so I just kinda used it first. Sorry for that" </p><p>Sakura looked dumb struck at his hands as Naruto stretched them out in front of her, palms exposed. Green water dripped from them, it's drops shining in the sun.</p><p>"that's just water, Naruto", She stated, looking at the boy with an expressionless face.</p><p>His face scrunched up as if she had just insulted his mother: "it's Magic water of course! See! it healed you wounds too"</p><p>The blonde side stepped to reveal a small pond, a fountain gurgling from between the rocks.<br/>
Curios Sakura hussled* closer, eyes widening at her unmarked reflection. </p><p>"woha that's cool. How did you find it?", Sakura asked. Kneeling down to lower her hand into the water, she gasped. The milky green water began glowing before the cuts on her hands vanished and the water returned to its normal state. </p><p>"I found it shen I was playing hide n' seek with the shadows, they never find me here", Naruto sat down beside her, "you're the first one I showed" </p><p>She looked over to the blonde, awe in her eyes, "really? Why?"</p><p> </p><p>At that he only shrugged, "we're bad boys and bad boys trust each other. Also you were hurt, how could I not help you?"</p><p>Naruto never ceased to surprised her.<br/>
No.<br/>
Him.<br/>
Naruto said that they were both boys and Naruto was his friend.<br/>
Naruto understood him.<br/>
Because they were bad boys and bad boys trusted each other.</p><p>"thank you, Naruto", Sakura smiled as her gaze went to the water again. The thank you* more whispered to herself than him. But he smiled back anyway.<br/>
Maybe he wouldn't have to remendin himself that </p><p>Maybe Sakura really could be a boy with Naruto on his side.<br/>
Maybe he wouldn't have to remind himself that he should be a girl instead. Like his parents always did.</p><p>Sakura just wanted to be him, and Naruto would accept that.<br/>
Hopefully. </p><p> </p><p>---</p>
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